Developed by Ole Herman Johannes Krag, the action of the Krag–Petersson was uniquely actuated by an oversized hammer.

Another distinguishing feature was that the cartridge rising from the magazine was not seated automatically, but had to be pushed into the breech of the rifle.

This rising of the breechblock (by means of a powerful spring) could catch the shooter off guard, resulting in pinched skin on the thumb.

The reports in particular praised the accuracy of the rifle, the rate of fire and the fact that the ejector worked without fail.

[2] Tests carried out during the evaluation also indicated that the rifle was more accurate than the Remington M1867, although both weapons were firing the same ammunition from identical barrels.

After the tests were concluded, the committee recommended several Krag–Petersson rifles be manufactured and distributed to a selected army unit for troop trials.

[2] Despite this, the committee did not recommend the Krag–Petersson as a standard-issue weapon for the Norwegian and Swedish armies, primarily because the round it was designed around was considered to be obsolete.

[2] However, the Royal Norwegian Navy decided to adopt it as their standard arm in 1876,[2] pointing out[2] that they still were using the old M1860 "Kammerlader" ("chamber-loader") modified to fire the 4 linjer rimfire round.

[2] It was also clear that the Jarmann, if adopted, would first be issued to the Army, leaving the Navy without a modern arm for at least another decade.

[citation needed] The weapon was ordered and delivered complete with the requisite equipment, such as a tampion, oil bottle and straps.

[2] Since Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk – the main armoury in Norway – was manufacturing Remington M1867s for the Norwegian army, the Krag–Peterssons were manufactured partly by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori (serial numbers 1 through 200 and 301 through 700)[2] in Sweden, and partly by Carl Johans Vern (serial numbers 201 through 300 and 701 through 975)[2] in Norway.

A handful (about 17) were manufactured at Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk, although these likely were development models and prototypes, since Krag was working there at the time.

The reason for this is that Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk manufactured the bayonets, and shipped them to Carl Johans Vern where they were fitted to the individual rifles.

Most probably, the main reason for this is that the rifle was designed around an outdated cartridge, and there was doubt that the action could be modified for more powerful ammunition.

[2] In 1876, the Danish military tested two preproduction rifles[2] delivered from Norway, and were impressed enough to manufacture slightly modified 115 Krag–Peterssons in 1877 for troop trials.